This is sort-of a strange headline, but it nonetheless appears to be the case. There are indications that Microsoft's prime competitors in the console market are feeling a mite bit threatened, and are responding by using what many US computer users would describe as Microsoftian tactics in order to discourage retail vendors from promoting the Xbox.
First, Nintendo. This letter has been cited by a few sources in the gaming industry, where Nintendo reminds retailers rather strongly that Nintendo products are still a major source of their income, questions the wisdom of promoting an alleged new product , (The Xbox) and suggests that Microsoft has little reason to care about the success of retailers at the present time. IGN's GameCube site secured an interview with Nintendo of America's VP of Sales and Maketing, in which NOA continues to spin and push the issue.
Sony may not be sitting idly by... and in light of their failure to supply Playstation 2s in volume, they may even be a little more desparate. There are some reports (See here) floating around the 'Net that Sony has threatened to withold PSX2s and possibly other Sony products to retailers who promote the Xbox. This may not be a new strategy for Sony, as evidenced by this report. Additionally, Char speaks up in our forum with the following information:
I was talking to a guy at EB and he confirmed the same sony threats. The difference for him was that he told sony to basically Kiss his @$$. Other than the doctored screenshots MS is actually starting to look good in this whole console race.
Some would call it irony, but this really goes to show that big corporations pretty much use the same tactics in order to gain or maintain a grip upon their desired markets.